One of my favorite things in life (besides pugs) is exploring new cities. I love wandering around, experiencing all of the new sights and sounds, and, of course, trying the area’s special foods and restaurants. Today, Anne and I ate our way through Carrboro, North Carolina.
After making breakfast at home (blueberry oatmeal + nut butter), Anne and I headed to Open Eye Café for a boost of caffeine.
Open Eye is a café with a funky, bohemian vibe. Today, the atmosphere was lively””it was bumping with customers on Sunday morning””but chill at the same time. There were also tons of people working behind laptops and quietly reading.
Open Eye doesn’t serve iced coffee (the horror!), so they offered to make me an iced Americano (espresso shots + water + ice). With a slash of soy milk, it was just how I like my iced coffee”” strong, bold, and slightly creamy. It was GOOD!
With drinks in hand, Anne and I grabbed a table at Open Eye and chatted away. Once we finished, we walked around downtown Carrboro, which included a visit to the Co-op and Fleet Feet (a running store), where we both scored some on-sale gear. Sweet.
Before we knew it, our stomachs were grumbling for lunch, so Anne and I popped into the Spotted Dog for lunch.
Of course, I loved this dog-themed restaurant. How could I not?!
The menu included lots of vegetarian and vegan options.
And “doggie” microbrews! So fun!
For lunch, I ordered the Sandwich & Soup combo, which came with a house salad and half of the Featured Salad of the Day. Today it was a toasted sandwich with melted Jack cheese, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and chipotle mayo. It was simple, but fresh and flavorful.
Anne and I both saved room for dessert, so Maple View Farm was the next stop on our food tour. Anne raved about Maple View Farm (on her blog and in person), so I was super excited to visit and try their ice cream.
The country store and views of the farmland did not disappoint!
It took me a little while to select flavor, but, eventually, I picked the Carolina Crunch, which was caramel ice cream with chunks of Heath Bar, Butterfinger, and caramel cups mixed in.
Yummmmmmmm! Anne was right””amazing ice cream!
Anne and I enjoyed our ice cream outside on the front porch.
I can’t believe how quickly the weekend fly by! I feel like it was just Friday afternoon, and I sipping a vacation beer at Sandwhich in Chapel Hill.
It was so great spending time with Anne this weekend. Of course, I wish we lived closer, so we could hang out all of the time, but maybe I’ll just have to visit her again soon. I loved the Chapel Hill area!